was an israeli attack on iranian territory in the province of esfahan. we are told by iranian officials saying they defeated the attack, that their air defense systems worked perfectly and that they have not suffered any damage. we're also hearing from our own jennifer griffin at the pentagon that u.s. sources are saying this was deliberately a limited, careful retaliation by israel for the attack on israel by those hundreds of iranian drones and missiles over the weekend. we will have continuing coverage right here on fox news of these dramatic developments in the middle east. >> we're coming right back with more. and israel has struck back at iran.

eyewitnesses say explosions could be seen and heard overnight close to a major air base in the iranian province of esfahan. the extent of the damage remains unclear at this point. hello, everyone. i'm jonathan hunt live in los angeles with ongoing coverage of what is dramatic breaking news in the middle east. the israeli attack, which a u.s. source tells us was limited, is in retaliation for last weekend's large coordinated missile and drone attack on israel. iran is playing down the situation, claiming it said defenses defeated the attack flight map show significant diversions over iranian airspace over the last few hours. we head now to fox news foreign correspondent trey yingst who is live in tel aviv. trey, bring us up to date. yeah, jonathan, good evening. a u.s. military source confirming to fox news that israel launched a limited

strike in the iranian province of esfahan overnight, reportedly targeting a military position. this is significant because it is direct retaliation to an iranian attack last weekend that included hundreds of drones and missiles that were fired toward israel. now, iranian state media is denying that a large incident took place. they say explosions were from the country's air defense system and that the largest airport in tehran is now open again for business. overnight, many civilian flights diverting out of iranian territory as this incident was taking place. we're still working to gather information from israeli sources. many of whom are just waking up to the news, giving you a sense of really how calm things are here in israel. very different from last weekend when you had all defense officials at israel's pentagon, the curia, around a table waiting to see what the iranian attack would look like.

we are receiving more information from the israeli army this morning indicating there are no special instructions for israeli civilians. and this points to the fact that the israelis do not believe there will be a direct response, at least immediately ,from the iranians following this strike overnight. there have been many threats throughout the past week from iranian officials saying that if a strike took place, there would be an immediate retaliation. and so israeli forces were on high alert across the country, fearing that iran might use its proxies like the houthis in yemen or hezbollah in southern lebanon to conduct a strike against israel. so far, things have been very quiet on israel's northern and southern front as the israelis are waking up to this news about a strike overnight in iran. jonathan. so, trey, putting this in perspective, it looks like we we started off here with the iranians a week or so ago, essentially telegraphing an attack on israel, then announcing that that attack was underway and saying it's coming

with drones, which will take several hours to get there, knowing full well that israel has one of the best air defense systems in the world. >> then israel responds with this. clearly very limited attack on iran, that iran is able to say didn't do any damage. we defeated it. it almost looks like everybody is looking to de-escalate right now. >> absolutely. there's a lot of coordination going on behind the scenes to avoid a broader regional war that both israeli and iranian officials understand don't serve their countries. there is a very challenging moment right now unfolding in the middle east as it relates to the war inside gaza and the fronts that developed following the october 7th massacre, black saturday, because almost immediately after that massacre took place and israel started their campaign against gaza, you had iran's largest proxy in the region, hezbollah

get involved in the fight. but in a limited way. they have been firing on northern israel, but avoiding major population centers like tel aviv, an indication that hezbollah is also calculating their role in all of this. the iranians right now have an exit ramp. they can say that israel's strike overnight didn't happen or that it wasn't successful. and the explosions were simply caused by iran's air defense system. the israelis had the ability to send a message to iran, letting the country know that they have the capabilities to strike iranian nuclear facilities because where they struck was very close in the province where iran has one of their main research centers for the country's nuclear program that continues to expand. so israel is looking to send a variety of messages. one has to do with the fact that there will always be, according to israeli officials, retaliation in response to attacks on israel. >> the second message has to do with iran's nuclear program, letting the ayatollahs and letting if officials

in tehran know that israel has the capability to strike iranian nuclear facilities, not destroy them, but target them if they decide to do so. and so overnight, this was a significant incident, an attack by israel striking iranian territory, but it was limited in scope, meant to send a message and not drag the region into a broader conflict jonathan. so, trey, i'm going to talk to kevin corke in a moment about reaction of the white house. but i'm interested in how the israel of what you believe and the israeli people may be believe is the biden white house influence on prime minister netanyahu and the war cabinet there, first of all. but the president biden has been pushing israel to hold off on this long, talked about a ground offensive into rafah in southern gaza. then over the past week or so, just under a week, president biden has been pushing israel to exercise restraint in its response to iran.

it seems from the outside that to a large extent, prime minister netanyahu has heeded both of those messages. >> is that the sense you're getting there? yeah, absolutely. and israeli officials, including the prime minister, will never go on the record to say that they are swayed or influenced by the american administration. but they certainly are. and they receive billions of dollars in military support from the americans. and so it makes sense. to give you a sense, though, of just how calculated this response was and how significant the initial action was that drew this israeli response to overnight back in 2020 when the americans took out top iranian general qassem suleimani in a drone strike, iran responded against a base in iraq that houses american troops and they responded with 13 ballistic missiles. i was reporting in baghdad at the time, and that felt like a huge moment in the middle east. iran targeting this base that housed american troops

with ballistic missiles. the attack on israel last weekend included hundreds of missiles and drones, and many of them actually made it into israeli airspace. some were intercepted overhead. others landed on israeli soil. and so it was a significant attack that the middle east has not seen. and so the biden administration had a heavy task to try to rein in the israelis, to say, look, don't drag the middle east into a broader war and in a very uncomfortable truth about that relationship is that the biden administration has made very clear to prime minister netanyahu that u.s. support will be conditional and it will not just be conditional based on israel's actions inside gaza, but across the region, because the united states understands that they could get dragged into a broader war if one does erupt. >> and so there were certainly concessions made behind the scenes as it relates to the war in gaza. israel's main focus for the past nearly 200 days and six months into that conflict, israel still

wants to operate in gaza, southernmost city of rafah, and the americans have been urging them not to do so in the past 24 hours. the israelis have indicated some of that pressure has been alleviated. and so all of this is connected. and it's important to understand there are a lot of moving parts here and many things that we will never know about the deals that are being cut behind the scenes to avoid a broader regional war . >> jonathan. yeah, absolutely. it certainly is all connected. trading in tel aviv at a late friday morning there. thank you so much, trey. the white house, obviously, as we were mentioning with keeping a close eye on the israeli strikes in iran as tensions obviously spike in the middle east. for more on reaction in washington, let's go now to fox news correspondent kevin cole. >> hello, kevin. >> although, jonathan, a little bit after 1 a.m. here in washington and yes, all quiet, at least from the white house so far, although we can tell you that. yes, because there was prior notification from the israelis to the u.s. before these

strikes were conducted. you know, obviously the folks at the white house and perhaps down in the situation room were hard at work. now, so far, at least officially, the white house and the nsc and the pentagon all quiet, not commenting on what's happening right now in the middle east, although that can change later on this morning. and generally speaking, at least based on my experience, i've covered four different administrations. >> somewhere between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.. they there may be a statement issued and then, of course, we'll look forward to perhaps a briefing from kirby or maybe even a statement from the white house itself a little bit later on. >> of course, the explosions have been reported inside iran, indicating multiple sides could have been struck here as this retaliation pendulum swings back and forth between the two countries. it's also interesting to note this from the white house perspective, and i want to salute what three yanks had to say about the complicated nature of the relationship. on the one hand, this white house, this administration wants very much to demonstrate that there is support for

israel and for the israeli state is sacrosanct, is as strong as it ever has been. however, there are more complications now, particularly given the potential escalation here. and so behind the scenes now, certainly at every possible diplomatic level, you know that this administration has been hard at work leaning on their partners in israel to keep this to a minimum. it would appear, based on what we know so far. again, this strike did not strike a nuclear facility. it did not strike a civilian facility. it would appear, based on what we know so far, this was in fact, limited. this was, in fact, targeted. now, here's where things get interesting. the white house also has to be careful, naturally, to not be seen as dumb jumping in both feeds with the israelis across the broad spectrum of their various entanglements in the region. for obvious reasons, because

there's a political angle here at home. and so i think the white house did what it had to do. it was in constant contact. >> it would appear again, jonathan, i can only tell you, based on what we've heard so far, it would appear that the israelis demonstrated a bit of restraint here. and if that is the case, that would certainly be a win for washington. that would also be a win for the netanyahu administration, because it means that, yes, they've given iran a chance to back out of this gracefully and hopefully in total, we can see a de-escalation of what is obviously a powder keg of a circumstance right now jonathan. >> yeah, and kevin, it is one thing speaking from a domestic political point of view, which you are so good at breaking down for, is for the united states, the white house to support israel against iran, domestically for president biden. it gets a whole lot more complicated in terms of electing world politics to give outright support

to israel to do whatever it wants to do in gaza. >> that's seems to be a much more politically fraught question for the white house as we approach november's election, would you say? >> absolutely. spot on analysis. and the real complication here is sometimes voters, as you know, jonathan, aren't as dialed in. >> they don't have the nuance, some type of understanding. >> well, we can support israel in this particular action and maybe have questions or reservations about how they handle other entanglements in the region. that's always been the case. but what's interesting this time, especially in this environment, we're talking about the 2024 political environment, it is more complicated for this white house, which is why showing support for israel while at the same time encouraging and leaning on them to not have this turn into a much wider, broader regional conflict is so important and it would appear they've been

effective in doing so tonight. >> yep. kevin, great to talk to you as always. thank you so much for that analysis. joining us now, rabbi, payments from the chabad of bel air here in los angeles. rabbi, great to see you as always. what is your initial reaction to what we have seen tonight? this seems to be on israel's part a very limited action, but with a very strong message, 100%. >> they checked off all the boxes exactly the way they were supposed to do it. what did they do? they laughed. iran. they did not go after civilians. they shot at police that are for the nuke. whether he did or not, it makes some difference. but that what they did. the other thing is they sent a message to iran, hello, you know where you are and we know how to go after you and we're not scared. >> so the fear of god must be in iran's head by saying, how did they get through

our missile systems? now they're going around saying, oh, we shut them all down and they're going they're going to play to the people on the street. >> i get it. but in israel made it a fantastic job of just sending a message. a message. i know you shot a lot at us, but we not retaliate close to your home and things that you care about. >> yeah. rabbi, i wonder what you think the reaction on the streets of tehran will be. it's friday in iran, the islamic day of prayer, the day that we have traditionally seen from religious leaders in iran. some very fiery speeches, not just in iran, but all over the region. do you expect we will see that over the next few hours and that we will see thousands of people called out on the streets of iran to say death to israel, death to america, the rent. the crowd of iran will. you must understand everybody,

all jewish people, whether in israel, in america, we stand with the people of iran. we understand you are under a dictatorship. >> you are under a regime. so will it be the rent, the crowd? will that be the people out the street? because they were told religiously, you've got to go out and do it? >> i'm sure that will be and the cameras will be there and everybody is going to say, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, the whole angry. but i don't know if you've noticed, but the people of iran, they go to sports venues and everything down the regime in the stands. so what you're going to see is propaganda reality. >> i'm telling you right now, the people of iran, they are loving that israel is standing up because they need somebody to try to topple this regime. will it will be able to topple the regime. i don't know. but i do know is is that most of the people in iran stands with israel and israel stands with them. >> we were talking earlier, rabbi to victoria coates, who served under president trump in the national

security apparatus. she made the interesting point that it may appear or it may turn out that countries like iraq, jordan certainly almost certainly saudi arabia, perhaps even allowed israel to overfly their airspace during whatever happened in the last few hours. >> how significant do you see it, given the history of the region that countries like that might be, let's say, coordinating with israel as it strikes out iran? >> huge, huge. the abraham accords opened up the eyes to many people. better to work with the israelis economically, peacefully, because israel is not the enemy. iran is the enemy. >> and everybody is recognizing in saudi arabia, everybody in the area saying, how do we

get to serpent alley here? now, we understand that iran right now is wagging their tail and their hissing is because they have the money. they're shooting at our bases all around the places. do their proxies with saudi arabia saying, thank you, israel, do you remember when israel went and attacked the nuclear reactor in iraq? the whole world condemned israel. how dare you do it out there. >> you do it with them. behind the scenes, they gave high fives and israel, thank you for getting rid of the nuclear reactor. there's a nuclear reactor being built in iran. the world will condemn israel. we're used to it. and i speak like an american, because when you attack my brother in israel, you're attacking me. >> we're used to it. but i know you're going. give me a high five. the green and say, will israel do it? i don't know, but it has to be done. >> rabbi haim meant so good to

talk to you as always. >> thank you so much for staying with us during this breaking coverage, rabbi. >> and we will be back with much more on this dramatic breaking news out of the middle east. israel striking at iran. iran says no damage was done, its air defenses defeated the attack. we will break down the rumor, the truth as best we know it when we come back. >> there are some things >> there are some things that work better together, like. your workplace benefits and retirement savings for you helps you choose the right amounts. well, that overall, under investing across all your investing across all your benefits and savings options so you can feel confident in your i financial choices because they really how to put two and two together for you. well plan well invested, well protected. >> right now someone could be listed as the owner of your

home and stealing thousands of dollars of your hard earned equity. anybody who owns property should worry about non title theft. there's no other crime that is so easy, so quick and so lucrative. your home, your equity and your peace of mind can all be stolen in one fell swoop by home. title thieves like matthew cox . nobody thinks that i can take their house. nobody thinks that believe it or not, a single page document is all it takes to transfer proof of ownership out of your name. people think, wow, there's a whole huge process. but the truth is, it's a one page document, but it still must get through one final barrier. the county clerk, when someone comes in with fraudulent deed, if it's notarized and all the spaces are filled in, we by statute have to accept it and not give it back to them and say, we know this is fraudulent, we're not going to file it. that's against the law. it's a false sense of security. it's not real. bottom line is, yes, it happens. and we can't it from happening.

and it only takes once for it to sting you and it's a very sad thing to watch. you've put your your love into the house and all of a sudden it might not be yours. it's a devastating crime for pennies a day. home title, not full monitor title non stop alerting you to suspicious activity. you may get a warning. notice that this first step has happened. you can stop the rest. meet terry. he signed it for home title lock in was immediately alerted to suspicious activity. so i received a report and saw, hey, i have a lien against my property that i didn't know about. we got it fixed right away. and if you call in the next 15 minutes and mentioned promo code block, you'll receive your first 30 days absolutely free. what would it do to your life if you lost your property? >> i mean, there's no price. you can put all that go online or call now. >> 1-800- 9384485 four. >> muscle cramps and spasms.

what's your mood? the hercules make the move to therapy works for fast muscle relief. safe, gentle and absorbs quickly for relief. there works works try therapy works and get back at it from a heart attack. >> do they have life insurance? >> no, but we have life insurance. >> john. i'm trying to find something we can afford. fortunately, in only a few minutes, select walk down, john, a $500,000 policy for only $29 a month and his wife and a $500,000 policy for only $21 a month go to select local now and get the insurance your family needs at a price you can afford. >> selectquote. we shop, you save walk with talladega. there goes have the nascar cup series talladega sunday on fox 70 million and funding for chicago is migrants.

chicago is migrants. >> you're putting our li shell renewable race fuel. reducing emissions by 60%. ♪♪ we're moving forward with indycar. because we're moving forward with everybody. shell. powering progress. shell renewable race fuel. reducing emissions by 60%. ♪♪ we're moving forward with indycar. because we're moving forward with everybody. shell. powering progress. lighting every soccer match at shell energy stadium. we're moving forward with the houston dash. because we're moving forward with everybody. shell. powering progress.

shell renewable race fuel. reducing emissions by 60%. ♪♪ we're moving forward with indycar. because we're moving forward with everybody. shell. powering progress. lighting every soccer match at shell energy stadium. we're moving forward with the houston dash. because we're moving forward with everybody. shell. powering progress. to $800 on select sleep number smart that for 0% interest for 36 months shop now it's sleep number account welcome back to ongoing coverage of dramatic events in the middle east overnight. us sources tell us that israel launched a strike on iranian territory iran and officials say that it was unsuccessful that their air defenses shot down what they described as a suspect ships

object over the esfahan area that is a significant location in iran because it is close to one of iran's nuclear nuclear facilities. and it would appear that israel may have been trying to send a strong message that we can reach your iranian nuclear facilities at a time of our choosing if we so desire. we're joined now by daniel davis. he's a retired lieutenant colonel with the u.s. army and a senior fellow at defense priorities. colonel, thank you so much for being with us. and can i ask you first what you believe israel was trying to achieve with this action that we've seen in the last few hours? >> you know, i really think that this was probably israel's opportunity to just tamp down the situation so we get out of this escalation letter and the possibility of escalating into an actual regional war, because i think

that was what the united states was trying hard to emphasize to our israeli counterparts. there was a meeting in the white house today where there is reportedly talking a lot about the potential operation into rafah. and according to the israeli military, a media before this attack happened, they said that a deal had been struck with the united states, that in exchange for israel not attacking into iran, that the united states would agree to an attack into rafah for the israeli military. so it remains to be seen, but it could be that this was israel's way of saying, okay, we're not going to strike back hard into iran, but you're going to also support us going into rafah, which they claim they need to win their war against hamas. so it remains to be seen what's going to happen. but what it does look like, at least initially, is that this has as remove the possibility of escalation into full scale war. >> yeah, it certainly seems to have given the iranians the ability to say we beat

back this attack. tell that people. no damage was done on heroic air defenses. they did their job. so we don't need to strike back at the israelis right now because they had said earlier in the week, obviously the tiniest attack on iranian territory would be met with an instant reaction. so but now they don't need to do that if they are saying that it didn't do any damage. yeah, the actually on cnn earlier tonight, actually in washington, tom, the iranian foreign minister has said that ,yes, they would respond decisively and in painful way if israel attacked onto iranian territory, if they hit the targets in iran, if they destroyed things, if they killed people, they claimed that they would not hesitate. but they would respond back immediately. from all we can so far and it will what you see in the morning. but right now it looks like that only three targets were struck and israel only sent

three drones, which were easy for the iranian side to knock down, which does appear to have tamped things down. and as long as both sides say, okay, we're okay with this right now, we don't need to escalate, then maybe we have averted a war, at least for now. >> and important to, colonel, that iran keeps its proxies in lebanon, hezbollah under control in this. they've managed to do that so far to a large extent. and in fact, the hezbollah could have carried out a far more intense barrage against israel if they'd want to do as the iranian drones and missile missiles came over last weekend, they didn't do that. >> do you find that significant? i do, yes, because, look, the iran's last week was, you know, with this 350 combination of drones and missiles could have been a lot worse. but they went after targets that were they knew that the iron dome would be knocking

them down. they telegraphed the what happened 72 hours in advance. again, when it launched, i think that iran signaled that they want to respond. so that they can make their domestic audience feel like they took care of their needs, but not that they it's escalated beyond a point to where they would have to actually where israel would have to respond back on top of that. so i think israel iran really wants to avoid a war. and hopefully it looks like israel also wants to avoid a war that is america's national interest, to avoid a regional war. >> it is certainly would appear to be in everyone's interest to avoid a widening regional conflict there. >> lieutenant colonel daniel davis, retired. thank you very much for being here. >> pleasure to have you with us. so here's where we stand right now. there has been an israeli attack against iran. iran says it has rebuffed what was, by all accounts, a very limited.

we will be back with much more of the dramatic eventserybd more of the dramatic eventserybd in the middle east aftery a break. >> everybody wantssensodyn >> everybody wantssensodyn super straight, super whiteon. teeth. they want that hollywood white smile sensodyne clinical away rights to shades whether teeth and 24 seven sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product it's going to help a lot of patients. maggie is this a manic episode? because if you are you know what comes. i am not planning for the i always fix problems and you have them. i'm great at depression. stay in bed, barely move in looking at contacts. they'll find your instagram and make fun of yourself. this does your student loan payment make you cringe? we get it saying goodbye to that money every month can

be tough, but by refinancing to lower rate through credible .com, you could drastically cut your monthly payments. at credible, you get personalized rates from multiple lenders. so it's easy to find a refi that puts the most cash back in your pocket. and life with extra cash is well extra visit credible .com. now to see your new monthly student loan payment dot and an individual can make a difference but a team can make a move. don't miss one of tv's most gripping dramas, the kidnapping today put out the alert experienced a new season any time. i don't know what you you're thinking about doing, but don't. and every tuesday a new episode will leave you in fun. yet on the edge of your seat, we can find something personal . alert me on tuesdays at night, central on fox or any time on hulu. >> every saturday on fs one two iconic teens takes center stage

,a class led by the dodgers three headed monster offense full time and free. oh, my goodness. l.a. that's the state hot in a hollywood showdown right now against the lonzo ball and the mets coverage begins saturday at three eastern on fs one. >> follow your pet's every step with the world's most trusted gps tracker for pets. track your pet's live location from anywhere in the world. monitor their activity, sleep and get health alerts so you can spot potential issues early. set virtual fences to get alerts if your escape artist goes too far all in one easy to use app with unlimited range support and over 150 countries tractive trusted by millions of pet parents around the world, save 20% for a limited time, we had to take our all to gas meeting. that was a huge project.

i was so overwhelmed. so i started contacting people often and to work with people that knew what they were doing. it was a game changer. >> get started today at and ecom dot is my superhero, but he's gone now and i don't know when he's coming back. >> as global tensions rise these long deployments near distant war zones put a strain on the bonds that keep families together, families like faris. >> we told the kids that derek is deploying. >> he's going to the great battle and he is going to fight the bad guys. daddy, being away has been really hard on my kids. the fear and anxiety that comes with military service are felt by every family member. so the deployment is really hard on me as well. i'm missing my husband, missing my best friend. i'm missing my partner. there's no one there to hug you and love you and tell you it's going to be okay. service members risk their lives to keep us safe, and this sacrifice takes an emotional toll on their spouses and children. that's why the uso provides vital programs that help keep

family bonds strong. without the uso, many servicemen wouldn't be able to connect with their loved ones or read a bedtime story to their child from halfway across the world. and without supporters like you, the uso couldn't give families the moments that keep them together. they seem so small, but they're huge to us. they keep us connected to our family, to our dad, to military families. need your support. call or go online now. and for just $19 a month, you'll help keep families connected. when you do, you'll receive this plush blanket as a symbol of your support. even while they're gone, they're taking care of us and making sure that we stay connected. they're making sure that we're provided for and that we're loved. and we know that we're part of a military community. we're not a government agency. we rely on donations from proud americans like you, your donation funds, critical programs that keep military families close. scott it's like everything to us. it is really is for only $19

a month, you can help keep military families connected. call 18885846124 or go online now. >> welcome back to our ongoing coverage of the dramatic events that have been unfolding in the middle east over the past few hours. israel apparently striking back at iran just days after iran send an unprecedented three drones and missiles into israeli territory. 99% of those were shot down on sunday. >> most of them not even making it over israeli airspace. now, less than a week later, israel has struck iran with what appears to have been a very limited strike. we do not know how it was carried out, whether it was missiles or drones. we are working to confirm that the target appears to have been in esfahan province. that is significant because in esfahan province is the site

of one of iran's nuclear facilities. so it may there have been that israel was trying to send a message here that they can hit iran and its nuclear facilities when they choose to. now, the region obviously on high alert because iran could activate some of its proxies in response to the strikes. now, it's important to point out here, we are told by u.s. officials that the u.s. was not involved, but did get a heads up about this strike. >> let's go now to fox news correspondent trey yingst, who is live in tel aviv this friday morning. and, trey, we're also getting word from the u.s. embassy there that they are asking the personnel not to travel outside of the tell general tel aviv, jerusalem, be'er sheva areas. so it's an abundance

of caution, they say. but from your reporting over the last few hours there seems to be not much concern in israel about a further round of for tat from iran at this point. absolutely. the americans are generally more conservative with their embassy alerts than the israelis just to ensure that any americans or u.s. embassy personnel are safe amid escalating tension across the middle east. there's an understanding by the americans and the israelis that we are really in uncharted territory. the fact that iran struck israel last weekend, israel struck overnight. but we do know, according to the israeli homefront command, the organization within the israeli responsible for informing civilians about changes in the status of their safety, has basically issued an alert saying there is no change in status and that they can proceed with normal activity. now, this is a good sign for

the israeli people and also an indication that the israeli military is not bracing for an immediate response by iran. now, separately, israeli military officials say the army remains high alert, fearing possible attacks by iranian proxies like the houthis in yemen or iran backed hezbollah in southern lebanon as it relates to the strike overnight in iran. we understand it was limited in scope. some israeli officials that we have been talking with this morning are just waking up to this news indicating. there was not a widescale call up of officials at the kiryat, israel's version of the pentagon with last night's activity and also an indication that the americans were alerted ahead of time just so they could prepare in case iran responded differently. but what we understand at this hour, iran is trying to take this as a escalatory moment. they were able to use this as almost an exit ramp in the region with state media saying that the only explosions were caused by iran's air defense

systems and that ultimately nothing of significance was targeted overnight. and so it's an opportunity for both the israelis and the iranians to step back from this really unraveling situation and pause for a moment ahead of what officials warn could be a regional war if all of this escalation continues. jonathan? and, trey, just briefly, there's some suggestion, i think, in some quarters that israel showed restraint in its response to iran, as requested by the biden administration, while saying, on the other hand, let us go ahead with the offensive in rafah, in southern gaza that we have talked about a lot. and the biden administration has also urged restraint don. what do you know about that, if anything, officially? absolutely. all of this is connected. remember, the israelis have been fighting a war inside gaza since black saturday, october seventh, that massacre

in southern israel. and they've been waiting to go into gaza, southern most city of rafah. and the americans have been urging them not to do so even as recently as last week, saying that u.s. aid to israel would be conditional on how they operate inside gaza and ensuring the safety of civilians who are currently stuck there amid the war. and so we've seen a shift in tone, though, over the past 48 hours from the israelis, basically saying once again that they've set a date to enter rafah. they will start the evacuation of civilians soon and that they've been talking with the americans. so there are certainly conversations taking place behind the scenes and likely an urging from the biden administration to limit the response against iran in exchange for some of the pressure being alleviated on the israeli military as they plan to enter that southernmost city inside gaza. so there is certainly a collaboration between the israelis and the americans as it relates to the strike overnight. we understand americans were

informed but not directly involved. and we can continue to expect this sort of coordination behind the scenes because israel is america's key ally in the middle east. and the americans played a critical role in defending the israelis and helping them to shoot down those missiles and drones. last weekend, when iran launched that unprecedented attack. jonathan, translate for them friday morning in tel aviv. >> thank you very. now with israel striking back, how concerned should we be about iran and israel's nuclear facilities? >> let's turn to fox news correspondent charlie peyser for more on that. >> hello again, charlie. >> hey, jonathan. fox news confirms that the targets of the attacks in iran were not nuclear nor civilian. it does raise questions, though ,on iran's nuclear threat, given that earlier thursday, tehran warned that if israel targeted iranian nuclear facilities, it has the ability to strike israeli nuclear sites . a senior commander in iran's

islamic revolutionary guard said thursday, quote, if the zionist regime wants to take action against our nuclear centers and facilities, we will surely in categoric glee, reciprocate with advanced missiles against their own nuclear sites. this irgc commander in charge of nuclear security warned further that such a strike would make it possible for iran to review its nuclear doctrine and deviate from the country's previous considerations. and while it was unclear exactly what he meant, we know in 2015, a deal was introduced imposing strict limits on iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against the country. among other provisions. in 2018, though, then president trump pulled the u.s. out of the deal if reimposing those sanctions on tehran. and in 2019, iran reportedly started breaking the restrictions in its nuclear activities. and today, the iranian foreign minister spoke out to cnn. >> watch the entire nuclear

program of iran is in its totality within the framework of a peaceful program. and i do think that america must pay closer attention and focus on the adventure seeking the regime in israel so that such a crisis will not happen in gaza because netanyahu showed that he will not respect any of the red lines. >> iran's supreme leader has the last say on tehran's nuclear program. we know in the early 2000, the ayatollah banned stockpiling nuclear bombs in a religious decree stating that although we have nuclear technology, iran has firmly avoided it. but this new rhetoric from top irgc officials about striking israeli nuclear facilities is raising concerns or concerns about the program that the country has always supported for strictly peaceful purposes, although that's been questioned. jonathan, back to you.

>> charlie painter, thank you very much indeed. joining us now, vice president of research at foundation for defense of democracies and former terrorism analyst at the treasury department. jonathan schanzer. >> great to have you with us again, jonathan, i wonder what you make of this. >> it seems have been a pretty straightforward message from israel to iran is that we can hit and we can hit the nuclear facilities if we choose to at a time of our choosing, but also, as u.s. officials have said to us, it was a very limited strike. it was a limited strike. there is a lot of messaging going on here right now. this was i mean, i think the iranians trying to send a message. maybe they actually tried to do more than that because i think they were trying to destroy things in israel by sending 60,000 tons of weaponry, including possible weapons that could carry a nuclear warhead in the future. the israelis have said and i'm

just back from the region this morning, the israelis were saying that they had very little choice but to respond, that in a region like this they could not let it go unanswered. the message was here, yes, we can hit you. we can hit things that are sensitive or important to you. you will be vulnerable if we attack you and you don't want to go any further. now, the question is, even after this kind of limited strike, it was really designed to deliver a message. whether the iranians are going to say, you know what, we're still escalating anyway, because that was the message that the iranians provided earlier today, even saying any kind strike that comes in will be met with a massive response by iran. of course, what we've seen so far is quiet. and i think that is a good thing. >> hmm. jonathan, i'm fascinated that you just got back from the region. well, while you were there, what is your impression of how much of a knife edge we are on

right now? it is a knife's edge. i was speaking to one senior israeli official who put it quite bluntly and said, this is a poker game. what that means is that both sides don't know exactly the cards that the other is holding. >> they are betting right now on the messages that they're sending being received. this is very much about sending messages by way of kinetic activity. and that, of course, leaves lots of room for misjudgment or misconstruing the message of the other side. my sense, of course, is that the u.s. is sending messages directly to the iranians, perhaps others, the arab world, maybe messages being sent by intermediaries like the turks, maybe the brits, whoever is willing and able to talk to the iranians and whoever the iranians willing to listen to right now. that's going to be important.

so my sense is that, yes, the, you know, the supreme leader is weighing his options and, yes, their national security council in iran is thinking through this right now how to respond, how to save face. but there are probably people in the ear of the regime saying, look, you don't want to go any further right now. the israelis just demonstrated that they can get past your defenses and then they can destroy things that are near and dear to this regime. you really don't want to go any further. now, have the iranians heard that message and are they listening? that is the big question right now in my mind. >> jonathan thank you so much. great to have a perspective from somebody who's just returned from the region too. >> jonathan schanzer, thank you so much for being with us. so here we are right now. >> israel appears to have struck at iran. we understand that this have been carried out, this strike using drones.

the iranians say that their air defenses success really took out what they call suspicious objects in the sky over esfahan. that is the site of a nuclear facility. and the strike or whatever happened exactly was not too far from that nuclear facility. was it a message from israel to the iranians that we can hit whenever we want to, wherever we want to? we'll be right back with continuing coveragage. and o >>ve imagine a future where plastic is not wasted, but instead remade overet cle and over into the things that keeanp our food fresher, our families safer, and our planet cleaner to help us get there. be are investing billions of dollars to create innovativ n and new recycling technologies for sustainable changegs. because when you push foret smarter solutions, big things can happenter wirills th. th pia >> it's better outside with ninja cookouts, a battle

with master groups, the jar barbecues, smoking air from backyard bashes are better with pizza ovens. they give you krispy kreme. 700 degree high heat roasting and barbecues, smoking. it's better outside that ninja when you travel. you can't afford to be sidelined by sore muscles and joints. that's why you should rely on australian dream arthritis, pain relief cream. whether you're enjoying the day in a far off place or just working in the yard, australian dream helps you to keep moving. not just live life. live life. pain free trust. the original australian dream. >> arthritis. pain relief. cream. it takes special dedication to care for our elderly, especially when they need it most. visiting angels. we help seniors remain independ and safe in their own home and give families that special peace of mind knowing that their loved ones have the best care possible.

america's seniors need our helping hand. so you care about caring. >> come on and join our team. angels america's choice and home care. >> he's only 47. aneurysm. did he have life insurance? >> do you know? got to get on it. >> check out selectquote. trust me. the peace of mind. >> it's worth it. life insurance is too important to put off another day. >> that's why selectquote makes getting coverage. you need easy. for less than a dollar a day. now get up to a $2 million policy with no medical exam and same day coverage visits lego.com we shop, you save the never has left this needle . that's not a bingo, bingo, bingo, blitz. now that's a bingo.

>> now transfer your i.r.a. or your old for one k to robinhood by april 30th, and we'll give you a 3% boost with the biggest match of any i.r.a. on the market, robinhood gold gets you the most clear retirement. >> i'm just a cleaning lady. she's clearly much more than i never wanted it. anything better happen to you, the cleaning lady? all new tuesdays on fox when you can watch. listen, get the latest news business and news headlines on sirius xm anytime, anywhere. fox news audio on sirius xm america is listening. oscar de la hoya live on prime time. the former boxer weighs in on how to to be

exceptionally stink free and smell as good as humanly possible. for more on israel's strike against iran, we're joined by foundation for defense of democracies, senior fellow iran scholar benham ben taylor. alabam, great to have you here once again. so it seems that overnight israel has sent a very powerful message while not wanting to deliver a very powerful physical blow. >> is that a fair assessment? indeed. i think this is about three things and pleasure to be back with you. the conflict in the region continues. one, this is restoring deterrence for israel. >> let's not forget the islamic

republic engaged in a historic, game changing strike by launching ballistic missile last weekend and cruise missiles and drones from its own territory publicly against the jewish state. it's basically undercuts or changes or escalates much of what used to be a gray zone war or a shadow war between iran and israel. that's the one. two, of course, is the optics, where the islamic republic launched that large volley and unsuccessful. israel in this very small strike was seen as being precise and successful, meaning ,if it is true that they employed small drones, they go under the radar, then of course, they're able to actually hit some of these targets based on what's coming out of social media right now and explosions in and around the city of esfahan, where there is both a nuclear facility and a military base. it's been reported that it was not designed to go after the nuclear facility. so it may have been indeed intended to, you know, do some damage to the military facilities or even get some

of iran's air defense assets to respond and detect where they are. let's not forget, most of iran's air defense assets are old model and the third and perhaps most important, is escalation control to get the iranians to not escalate. >> right. >> ben and ben taylor, blue. great to have you with us. you're to be with us the next couple of hours. so we're going to treat this as the ben and ben blue appetizer. we'll be back for the main course when we have more time at the top of the hour. so where we stand right now is israel has attacked iran. iran says it has beaten back that attack its air defenses, effectively taking down what the iranians say was a suspicious object. so we will sort the truth and we'll tell you what we know, will admit what we're not sure of as we continue on coverage of dramatic events in the middle east. back at the top of the hour.

sean combs built a hip hop empire. he was the biggest thing going. that's when this house of cards starts collapsing. more people came forward alleging different kinds of abuse. so do think you can make parallels of epstein. is the bad boys reign coming to an end when he fall? it's going to be so hard that everything around him is going to fall into that hole with right now someone could be listed, the owner of your home and stealing thousands of dollars of your hard earned equity. anybody who owns property should worry about home title theft. there's no other crime that is so easy. so and so lucrative. your home, your equity and your peace of mind can all be stolen in one fell swoop by home. title thieves like matthew cox. nobody thinks that i can take their house. nobody thinks that. believe it or not, a single page document is it takes to transfer proof of ownership out of your name. people think, look, there's

a whole huge process, but the truth is, it's one page document, but it still must get through one final barrier. the county clerk, when someone in with fraudulent deed, if it's notarized and all the spaces are building, we by statute have to accept it and not give it back to them and say, we know this is fraudulent, we're not going to file it. that's against the law. it's a false sense of security. it's not real. bottom line is, yes, it happens. and we can't stop it from happening. it only takes once for it to stay new. and it's a very sad thing to watch. you've put your your love into the house and all of a sudden it might not be yours. it's a devastating crime for pennies a day. home title lock will monitor your title nonstop, alerting you to suspicious activity. you get a warning. notice that this first step has happened. you can stop the rest. meet terry. he signed it for home title lock and was immediately alerted to suspicious activity. so i received the report

and saw, hey, i have a lien against my property that didn't know about. we got it fixed right away. and if you call in the next 15 minutes and mentioned promo code, lock it, you'll your first 30 days absolutely free. >> what would it do to your life if you lost your property. mean there's no price you can pay all that go online call now 1-800- 9384485. when you're a small business owner, your to do list can be a . that's why progressive makes it that's why progressive makes it easy to save auto quote online so you can take on all your other to do's already did. see if you could see that progressive commercial .com. >> when i started mypillow it was just a problem solution

one property company. well, since then, with the help of my dedicated employees, we now have hundreds products. some you might not even know about to get the word out. we're having a $25 extravaganza. true pack mode to use my pillows. $25, mypillow chandelier, $25. and for the first time ever, our six pack towel sense, you guessed it, just $5. our brand new four pack just out $25. and i've never done this before premium my pillows with all new geyser fabric any size any loft level even king size for only $25. and there's so much more. so go to my pool with our camera call the number on your screen. use your promo code for our $25 extravaganza or $75 and over your entire order ships absolutely free. >> goldilocks needs a place

of her own and fast. thankfully, she's on redfin. they update listings every 2 minutes, and with so many options, she's bound to find exactly what wants. big >> this one's just right. if shepr needed what's happening now, it is happening for gutters can cause big problems fast. until now, call 33 the filter today for your free gutter inspection. >> i've had terrible floodingerl problems on my porch. now i understand why. right now the filterutlogged is offering a free inspection on your schedule. lee filter is a permanen gt gutter solution, so you never have to worry about costly damage from clogge scheduld aga >> call us today and schedule your inspection. schedule your free inspection. calling through three leaf filter today. >> more visit leaf filter econ lite coverage. powerful reporting. the regional tension comes as israel's southern and northern fronts remain active. the el paso sector here has been seeing a sudden spike in activity. polls are showing he and president trump neck and neck. >> only on fox news channe